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All Forum Posts by: Arron Paulino

Arron Paulino has started 51 posts and replied 212 times.

Post: Educating Spouse On Real Estate Investing

Arron PaulinoPosted
  • Rental Property Investor
  • South San Francisco, CA
  • Posts 227
  • Votes 82

I can see the benefits of real estate investing and want to learn how to explain this to my spouse. How do I go about making this a great tool to lead to financial independence? My spouse sees the cash flow coming in but is also worried about the risks that come with it such as having a loan for a property rather than having it all cash/paid off. How do I instill confidence rather than fear of failure in a sense? Does anyone else have this scenario when trying to reassure their partner that this is the way to go? I am all for real estate investing and preparing our future so we can be financially stable from real estate and not have to rely on our W2 income to survive.

I have been investing for four years now and have a few properties under my belt. I think at this stage it is seeing the capex items pop up and kind of wash away my cash flow is where this may come up also. Overall, I have been on the positive side and I think just seeing the breakeven is where the worry comes from.

Post: Owens Financial Group LLC

Arron PaulinoPosted
  • Rental Property Investor
  • South San Francisco, CA
  • Posts 227
  • Votes 82
Quote from @Wendy Usrey:
Quote from @Stewart VanValkenburg:

Was it this guy? He did the LinkedIn version of a friend request to me.

David W Owens

1st degree connection1stCEO/Owner Owens Financial

  • Owens Financial Group
  • Goethe University

San Francisco, California, United States Contact infowww.owensfinancialgroupllc.com

I think so different profile photo on my linked in but everything else matches.  I definitely would be careful if you decide to consider them- he had all the right answers, until it was time to actually move forward.  Then ghosted us when I questioned the “no escrow” piece.  Here is what his linked in looks like for me:






 This is the guy!!! Avoid and report him at all costs.

Post: Owens Financial Group LLC

Arron PaulinoPosted
  • Rental Property Investor
  • South San Francisco, CA
  • Posts 227
  • Votes 82
Quote from @Stewart VanValkenburg:

Was it this guy? He did the LinkedIn version of a friend request to me.

David W Owens

1st degree connection1stCEO/Owner Owens Financial

  • Owens Financial Group
  • Goethe University

San Francisco, California, United States Contact infowww.owensfinancialgroupllc.com

He blocked me so I can't click on the link if you sent one here. Initially, he sent me a friend request via LinkedIn and then we connected. Things sounded too good to be true and of course it ended very badly.

Post: Real Estate Investing Reset Button Has Been Pushed

Arron PaulinoPosted
  • Rental Property Investor
  • South San Francisco, CA
  • Posts 227
  • Votes 82
Quote from @Michael Smythe:

@Arron Paulino what property Classes are your current properties?

Class C is most likely what you'll need to get your $5k monthly number.

Class A & B rarely cashflow when you buy them, but you make your money via appreciation.

$100k won't get you far!

MFR require 20-25% down, so that's max $500k purchase. In some areas that won't get you anything.


I am currently in the Memphis market so I am looking at Class C properties as rentals. I should be able to hit that $5k monthly number once I double my current rental portfolio.

I do like Class A & B properties but yes, it's all about appreciation for those.

$100k to me is more to get the ball rolling and compound on the future investments made.

MFR is an opportunity I'm working towards attaining once I get the funds for it.

Post: Real Estate Investing Reset Button Has Been Pushed

Arron PaulinoPosted
  • Rental Property Investor
  • South San Francisco, CA
  • Posts 227
  • Votes 82
Quote from @Nathan Gesner:
Quote from @Arron Paulino:

Let me ask a different question: if you made mistakes with your current properties, what are you going to do differently that would make a different property perform any better?

I think you should focus your energy on learning to manage your properties well. When you've proven you can put up with scammers, non-paying renters, bad contractors, etc., then you can apply those same skills to a better asset class.

Buying new properties won't make those problems go away, and it may make them worse because you'll be at a higher price point and have more to risk.


 I get what you mean. I am thinking of moving into a better market and really doing my homework before diving in. Right now with the rentals I currently have, I will be sorting out the cashflowing versus the non-performing and cleaning up in-house before pursuing my next venture. Once I get through that with the knowledge I have now, I will be looking into a better asset class. What do you define as a "better asset class" that I can look into?

Post: Real Estate Investing Reset Button Has Been Pushed

Arron PaulinoPosted
  • Rental Property Investor
  • South San Francisco, CA
  • Posts 227
  • Votes 82
Quote from @Chris Seveney:
Quote from @Arron Paulino:

I decided to make a post here to essentially reset. I was a newbie who started investing in real estate during the pandemic so I've been at it for a few years now. I am planning on liquidating a couple of my properties to "start over" and see how I can better achieve my personal goal of attaining $5,000/month in positive cash flow and keep some money in the bank to be liquid. I now have an LLC with a business checking account and credit card that I just established to separate my business transactions and personal. I have been in the ringer through real estate investing (negative cash flow, scammers, bad contractor, obtaining more than ARV, getting less than ARV, plumbing issues, positive cash flow) learning head-first the whole way. I know the obvious answer is to keep educating, but I knew I learned best diving right in and so I really experienced the good and bad of real estate investing firsthand.

With this said, any advice on how to proceed with decent liquidity? I've grown to learn what to do, how to do it properly, and continually educate myself to do better on the next deal. I read somewhere that it may be a good idea to buy large multifamily in a decent area (just don't really know what market is decent for this) or buy turnkey properties (I know of a couple reputable sellers that I can invest with). I have been doing the BRRRR as my exit strategy to obtain properties in my rental portfolio. Looking to hear from everyone and specifically from those that have obtained their financial freedom goal within a span of a few years.


 Have you considered private lending? People on here are pushing omg now is the best time to buy real estate but guess what. ITS NOT. IF that was the case then we would not have homes sitting on markets and prices declining/softening. Now is an awful time to buy real estate because it is over inflated and most people require leverage which is expensive. Now thats not to say you cannot get a good deal here or there, but overall its an awful time.


 It's funny because I first got into real estate investing via private lending. Now, I am acquiring rental properties to build my portfolio. I think I will going back to how I started and see how that goes. I appreciate your input. What do you usually look for in regards to best practices as a private lender?

Post: Real Estate Investing Reset Button Has Been Pushed

Arron PaulinoPosted
  • Rental Property Investor
  • South San Francisco, CA
  • Posts 227
  • Votes 82
Quote from @Carlos A.:
Quote from @Arron Paulino:
Quote from @Carlos A.:

Hello Arron! 

Your question is a little vague. “How to proceed with decent liquidity?”. Depending on how your reserves/portfolio look like, there could be numerous strategies. 1031 exchage? Cash or refi? Finding partners? A bunch of different ways. 

A large multifamily in a decent area may be mutliple Millions of dollars depending on where you look. But depending on your ability to fund something like that, you could hit your mark (5k/mo) in one deal


 I think that's what I am looking for right now. I'm thinking, hypothetically, being liquid about $100k and seeing where that can put me in terms of building up my rental portfolio and/or seeking flipping opportunities to grow my capital to get into bigger projects. What do you suggest?

With 100k you could probably find some decent properties. Personally, I dont think that alone will be enough to generate your goal (5k/mo) regardless of what you put it in. Cashflow in general is pretty difficult to come by in today’s market. 
You might be able to find some larger multifamily buildings in the midwest (just guessing here) that you can use that 100k as the downpayment? But…if it were me, I would focus on buying 1 or two nice houses in great appreciating areas…best of luck with your investing!!

 Thanks for the advice. That's what I figured I need to do. I may look to partner up with another investor to scale up and share resources to get to my goal faster.

Post: Real Estate Investing Reset Button Has Been Pushed

Arron PaulinoPosted
  • Rental Property Investor
  • South San Francisco, CA
  • Posts 227
  • Votes 82
Quote from @Carlos A.:

Hello Arron! 

Your question is a little vague. “How to proceed with decent liquidity?”. Depending on how your reserves/portfolio look like, there could be numerous strategies. 1031 exchage? Cash or refi? Finding partners? A bunch of different ways. 

A large multifamily in a decent area may be mutliple Millions of dollars depending on where you look. But depending on your ability to fund something like that, you could hit your mark (5k/mo) in one deal


 I think that's what I am looking for right now. I'm thinking, hypothetically, being liquid about $100k and seeing where that can put me in terms of building up my rental portfolio and/or seeking flipping opportunities to grow my capital to get into bigger projects. What do you suggest?

Post: Real Estate Investing Reset Button Has Been Pushed

Arron PaulinoPosted
  • Rental Property Investor
  • South San Francisco, CA
  • Posts 227
  • Votes 82
Quote from @Marco Padilla:

Hello,

It's great to see that you've been on a real estate investing journey for a few years now, learning from both the ups and downs along the way. As you plan to reset and pursue your goal of attaining $5,000/month in positive cash flow with decent liquidity, partnering with other investors could be a valuable option to consider.

There's a famous quote that says, "If you want to travel fast, travel alone; however, if you want to travel far, travel in a group." By partnering with other investors, you can leverage their knowledge, resources, and experiences to help you achieve your financial goals more efficiently.

Here are a few potential benefits of partnering with others:

  1. Increased Capital: Partnering allows you to pool financial resources, giving you a stronger position to pursue larger investments and potentially increase your positive cash flow.
  2. Shared Expertise: Collaborating with experienced investors who have achieved similar goals can provide valuable guidance and insights. They can help navigate challenges, identify market opportunities, and offer sound advice based on their own successes and failures.
  3. Risk Mitigation: Sharing the risk with other investors can reduce your exposure and help protect your assets. By spreading the risk across multiple parties, you can minimize the impact of any individual investment setbacks.
  4. Expanded Network: Partnering provides access to a broader network of contacts, which can lead to new opportunities and potential deals. The connections of your partners, combined with your own network, can open doors to beneficial collaborations and increased deal flow.

When considering partnership opportunities, look for investors who share your goals, values, and investment strategies. Networking within real estate investment clubs, attending industry conferences, and engaging with online forums can help you connect with like-minded individuals.

Apart from partnerships, continue focusing on education and self-improvement. Learn from your past experiences and adapt your strategies accordingly. Consider exploring opportunities in markets that align with your investment goals and offer decent potential for positive cash flow. Researching and understanding market trends, rental demand, and economic indicators can inform your investment decisions.

Keep refining your business operations and systems as you scale your portfolio. Strive to build a strong team of professionals, including property managers, contractors, and advisers, to help support and streamline your investment efforts.

Remember, achieving financial freedom takes time, dedication, and smart decision-making. Leveraging the expertise and resources of others in a partnership can help you achieve your goals more efficiently and maximize your chances of success.

Best regards,


 Thanks for sharing your input on connecting with investor partners. I really think this is the way to go so I can scale more efficiently. Connecting with the right investors and not just anyone is where I should focus my attention. 

Post: Beginner looking for advice

Arron PaulinoPosted
  • Rental Property Investor
  • South San Francisco, CA
  • Posts 227
  • Votes 82
Quote from @Nick Johnson:
Quote from @Arron Paulino:
Quote from @Nick Johnson:

Hello everyone,

I have been looking to get into real estate for sometime and finally want to take the next step and secure my first property. Over the last few months I’ve been trying my best to learn as much as I can to gain knowledge in the business and help me make good decisions. 

My first issue is I live in a HCOL area (NY) and investing locally seems like numbers are not worth it. I’d have to spend big money on a downpayment and most properties won’t even cash flow enough to make it a good deal.  

I am now trying to learn as much as I can about investing out of state. I finished reading long distance real estate which was very helpful in showing that it is feasible to buy properties out of state. 

I have a good full time w2 job so coming up with a down payment is not an issue. I just am having issues feeling confident in an out of state market that I have no clue will be good. 

I’m looking for advice on what I should be doing to get where I need to be. So far I’ve read long distance real estate, rental property investing and abcs of real estate. I’m also reading forum posts and listening to the bigger pockets podcast when I can. 

My goal is to buy my first rental property this year, preferably a duplex and would like to get to a point where I feel confident to put my money down and make my first deal. I currently am not a homeowner so this would be my first property all together. 

Thank you for the help. 


Happy to see you're getting into this game! It's honestly been a big learning experience for me just diving in and ironing out things as I went. I was like you and educated myself beforehand but you can only go so far until you dive in.

Sounds like you'd go for a house hack since you'd like a duplex first. You can apply for an FHA loan as a first time homebuyer to use your down payment money to get a property in your area and rent out the other half to get your firsthand experience. This is probably your preferred option. Maybe even think of moving to another city/state if you are comfortable with doing that unless you like living in your area.

In terms of out of state, try to find a landlord friendly state. You sound like me starting out and hope for the best man!

Thanks for the response !

I am stuck living in my current area due to my job so moving isn’t an option. I am actually looking at potential house hacks in my area but I guess I’m kind of picky that if I did go that route I would eventually want it to be my family home in the future so I wouldn’t just pick any house to do that. If I did an FHA loan and paid little down, the mortgage payments would be insanely high right? I feel like that wouldn’t make sense especially since the rent wouldn’t even cover half the payment if I were putting 20% down. 

Do you think OOS as a first investment is too risky? The only market I see thrown around is Columbus and feel like I’m late to that party. 

Makes sense. Maybe find somewhere not too far away from work in the suburban area/outskirts to avoid the big city prices. Yes, you'll be paying mostly interest rather than principal paydown starting out with the FHA loan hence the better play for you on paper but maybe not on the monthly.

It's not too risky so long as you pick your market(s) and do your numbers right. Yeah I was late to that city too when I started, but doesn't mean you can't make a play there. Just more fish in that pond is all so it'll take more time if you're okay with that. I too was hesitant going out of state, but I put my foot on the gas and started to make some moves. Even in my OOS market in Memphis, I'm still struggling to find something so it's been tough to move the needle. I understand how all the numbers work to make sense and it just has been more a being patient game when getting another property.